1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data communication apparatus and data communication system for receiving non-speech data. More particularly, the present invention relates to a data communication apparatus and data communication system for receiving data selected in accordance with a menu.
2. Description of the Related Art
The technique for the integration and mounting of a semiconductor device, and the communication technique have rapidly advanced in recent years. Thus, it is now possible to transmit and receive electronic mails, and to browse content data of various data formats, such as characters, figures, and images, using mobile stations as mobile data communication apparatuses. A portable phone and a personal digital assistant (hereinafter abbreviated as PDA) are typical examples of the mobile stations as the data communication apparatuses. Particularly, the mobile phone is improved in size and weight and superior in portability. In addition, the mobile hone can be connected to a base station via a radio channel for speech communication. Also, the mobile phone can acquire content data as the above-mentioned non-speech data from various servers on the Internet to which computer networks are connected and to display the content data on a display unit of the mobile phone.
Such a mobile phone can be connected to a mobile communication network via the base station. The mobile communication network is connected to a gateway server and a content server via a switching apparatus accommodating a public telephone network connected to subscriber telephones. The content server is accommodated on the Internet, and stores non-speech data such as characters, figures, and images as content data. The gateway server carries out protocol conversion between a network composed of the mobile communication network and the public telephone network and the Internet in which the content server is accommodated.
FIG. 1 shows a flow of a series of processes for browsing content data by the conventional mobile phone as a mobile station in the data communication system described above. In this case, it is supposed that a radio channel has already been established between the mobile station and a base station. First, when the content data should be browsed, the mobile station transmits a connection request 10 to a content server via the base station, a switching apparatus and a gateway server. When the content server receives the connection request 10, and approves the connection, the content server sends back a connection confirmation 11 via the gateway server, the switching apparatus and the base station. In this way, a session between the content server and the mobile station as the data communication apparatus on the receiver side is established.
Next, an initial menu display data 12 is transmitted from the content server to the mobile station. The initial menu display data 12 is described in a predetermined data description language such as Compact Hypertext Markup Language (hereinafter abbreviated as C-HTML) and Wireless Markup Language (hereinafter abbreviated as WML) used in the Wireless Application Protocol (hereinafter abbreviated as WAP) system. The initial menu display data 12 is described in a text file format, and character modifications and layout designation are carried out in accordance with tags composed of reserved word codes put between the marks xe2x80x9c less than xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c greater than xe2x80x9d. The various types of designations are carried out between the tag put between the symbols xe2x80x9c less than xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c greater than xe2x80x9d and the tag in which the same reserved word codes as those of the above tag are put between the symbols xe2x80x9c less than /xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c greater than xe2x80x9d. In the data description language, specific data to be displayed can be linked to other content data. Accordingly, it is possible to acquire a large amount of linked data according to necessity, even when the displayed content data itself has only a description for display.
The initial menu display data 12 received by the mobile station is described in the above-mentioned data description language. A list of content data acquirable from the content server is displayed as an initial menu screen (initial menu display 13) by use of a browser function installed in the mobile station.
FIG. 2 shows an example of the initial menu screen display on a display section of the mobile station. On the display section 14 of the mobile station are shown xe2x80x9cMY MENUxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cINFORMATION IN THIS WEEKxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cWEATHER REPORTxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cNEWSxe2x80x9d in units of items as the list of content data acquirable from the content server. Each of the items on the initial menu display data is linked to the content data stored in the content server.
As mentioned above, in the mobile station, the menu display data is displayed on the display section thereof by the browser function, to promote the user of the mobile station to carry out a selecting operation. When the user selects one of the items, a data transmission request 15 of the content data linked to the selected item is sent to the content server. In response to the data transmission request 15, the content server transmits content data 16 requested by the user to the mobile station. The mobile station receives the content data 16 and transmits an acknowledge (ACK) 17 to the content server.
As such, in the conventional data communication apparatus and data communication system, each time the data communication apparatus is connected to the content server, the initial menu display data is transmitted and the initial menu display data is displayed based on the initial menu display data. Then, the data communication apparatus issues a data transmission request for requesting the content data linked to one selected from among the displayed items. Therefore, the user needs to follow a hierarchy of menu screens in order to access desired data. As a result, the user is required to carry out a troublesome operation before acquiring the desired content data. In addition, it takes much time for the user to acquire the desirable content data.
In order to solve the problems, a mobile terminal apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-120487). In this reference, menu display data is possessed in advance by the data communication apparatus and is updated into new menu display data to be received in response to a searching request to a predetermined data center. Thus, the data communication apparatus needs not to receive the menu display data each time the data communication apparatus is connected to a content server. Also, the data communication apparatus can always display an initial menu display data having the latest menu items to allow desirable content data to be acquired.
In addition, there is known Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 10-207710) entitled xe2x80x9csoftware download system and menu generation systemxe2x80x9d. In this reference, software installation data is transmitted from a data communication terminal to a host apparatus such as a content server. A download menu display data of software corresponding to the software installation data is sent back. Thus, a menu display data most suitable for the condition of each data communication terminal can be displayed. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a troublesome operation without following the hierarchy of some menu display data.
As described above, in the data communication apparatus and the data communication system disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-120487), the latest version of the list of content data stored in the content server can be displayed on the display section. However, the user of the data communication apparatus still needs to follow the hierarchy of menu screens to acquire the desirable content data. This is because the menu display data is only updated in accordance with the condition between the content server and the data communication apparatus. Therefore, it is impossible to display a menu display data for easily browsing desired content data.
In addition, in the data communication apparatus and the data communication system disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 10-207710), a menu screen can be displayed in accordance with the condition of each data communication terminal. However, the user of the data communication apparatus still needs to follow the hierarchy of menu screens to acquire desired content data. This is because the menu display data is only updated in accordance with the condition of the data communication terminal.
In other words, in the data communication apparatus and data communication system proposed in the above conventional examples, the menu screen is only displayed in accordance with the conditions of the server and the data communication apparatus. There is no consideration for an actual access condition and interest of a user who uses the data communication apparatus. Thus, it is almost impossible for the user to easily acquire desirable content data in accordance with the menu screens prepared by the server.
In conjunction with the above description, an electric device with a menu which can be customized by a user is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 10-161832). In this reference, the electric device has a memory which stores the menu composed of elements adaptive the user, and a display unit which displays the menu on its screen, and a customizing unit which customizes the display of the menu. The electric device further includes a locking and releasing unit which locks a parameter of the menu and releases the lock, and a display and mask unit which cooperates with the locking and releasing unit which selectively displays or masks the menu element which is released or locked. The electric device is applicable to a portable phone and an apparatus with a menu screen.
Also, a portable terminal VOD system is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-127427). In this reference, a menu is requested to a WEB server 5 through a radio converter 4. Next, when material is requested from a portable terminal 6 through a VOD management unit 3, a request command is sent to the VOD management unit 3 in not HTTP protocol but SOCKET protocol. A photoelectric converting unit 2 takes out a requested material from a material server 1 to transmit to the portable terminal 6 through a light transmission path. Thus, a proxy function of the VOD management unit 3 becomes unnecessary to attaine the reliable transmission of the request command and the reduction of network load.
Also, an information distributing system is disclosed in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-A-Heisei 11-136365). In this reference, a portable terminal 103 containing a cellular phone and PHS has a large capacity of memory 122. A content is selected based on information registered previously by a user and is distributed to the user from a communication provider system 102 at a timing selected by the user. The content is stored automatically in the memory 122 by way of a predetermining rule. The user can repetitively see and hear the stored content. In this way, the desired latest content can be distributed, and stored or updated.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a data communication apparatus and a data communication system, in which a menu display data most adaptive for an access condition and interest of a user can be displayed, and desirable data can be easily acquired.
In order to achieve an aspect of the present invention, a data communication system includes a plurality of server sections, each of which stores content data, and a mobile station connectable to the plurality of server sections, and having a table which stores a set of address data and identification data for each of the plurality of server sections. The mobile station displays the identification data of the table for the plurality of server sections, and automatically transmits a data transmission request to a specific one of the plurality of server sections based on the address data corresponding to the specific server section, when the identification data for the specific server section is selected. The specific server section transmits the content data stored therein to the mobile station. The mobile station displays the content data transmitted from the specific server section.
Here, the table may further include count data for at least one time period in addition to the address data and the identification data as the set for each of the plurality of server sections. Also, the content data comprises data elements. In this case, the mobile station counts up the count data when the mobile station receives a head one of the data elements of the content data from the specific server section.
Also, when the mobile station receives a head one of data elements of content data from another server section, the mobile station desirably registers the identification data and the address data of the other server section on the table and counts up the count data for the other server station. In this case, the table may include the count data for each of a plurality of time periods. In this case, it is desirable that the mobile station sequentially shifts the count data for one time period as the count data for the time period before the one time period, when the latest time period has elapsed.
Also, in order to achieve another aspect of the present invention, a data communication system includes a first server section which stores content data, a second server section which stores a plurality of initial menu display data, and a mobile station connectable to the first and second server section and a memory storing download screen data. The mobile station reads out the download screen data from the memory to display a download screen composed of items, and transmits item selection data indicative of one of the items to the second server section when the one item of the items is selected. The second server transmits one of the plurality of initial menu display data corresponding to the item selection data to the mobile station, the initial menu display data includes a set of address data and identification data of the first server section. The mobile station displays the initial menu display data, automatically transmits a data transmission request to the first server section based on the address data of the first server section, when the identification data for the first server section is selected. The first server section transmits the content data stored therein to the mobile station, and the mobile station displays the content data transmitted from the first server section.
Here, the first server section and the second server section may be identical to each other.
Also, the mobile station may store the initial menu display data transmitted from the second server section in a table of the memory. The table may further include count data for at least one time period in addition to the address data and the identification data as the set for the first server section. Moreover, the content data may be composed of data elements. In this case, the mobile station desirably counts up the count data when the mobile station receives a head one of the data elements of the content data from the first server section. At that time, when the mobile station receives a head one of data elements of content data from another server section, the mobile station desirably registers the identification data and the address data of the other server section on the table and counts up the count data for the other server station. Also, the table may include the count data for each of a plurality of time periods. In this case, the mobile station sequentially shits the count data for one time period as the count data for the time period before the one time period, when the latest time period has been elapsed.
In order to achieve another aspect of the present invention, a data communication system includes a first server section which stores content data, a second server section which stores a plurality of initial menu display data, and a mobile station connectable to the first and second server section and having a table which stores a set of address data, identification data and count data for at least one time period for at least one server section. The mobile station reads out the table to transmit to the second server section. The second server determines one of the plurality of initial menu display data based on content of the table to transmit to the mobile station, the initial menu display data includes a set of address data and identification data of the first server section. The mobile station displays the initial menu display data, automatically transmits a data transmission request to the first server section based on the address data of the first server section, when the identification data for the first server section is selected. The first server section transmits the content data stored therein to the mobile station, and the mobile station displays the content data transmitted from the first server section.
Here, the first server section and the second server section may be identical to each other.
Also, the mobile station stores the initial menu display data transmitted from the second server section in the table. The content data may be composed of data elements. In this case, the mobile station desirably counts up the count data when the mobile station receives a head one of the data elements of the content data from the first server section. In this case, when the mobile station receives a head one of data elements of content data from another server section, the mobile station desirably registers the identification data and the address data of the other server section on the table and counts up the count data for the other server station. Also, the mobile station sequentially desirably shits the count data for one time period as the count data for the time period before the one time period, when the latest time period has been elapsed.
In order to achieve another aspect of the present invention, a data communication terminal includes a display section, a communication section, a memory which stores a table storing a set of address data, identification data and count data for at least one time period for each of a plurality of server sections, and a control section. The control section controls the display section to display the identification data of the table for the plurality of server sections. Also, the control section controls the communication section to automatically transmit a data transmission request to a first one of the plurality of server sections based on the address data corresponding to the first server section, when the identification data for the first server section is selected on the display section. Further, the control section controls the display section to display the content data transmitted from the first server section.
Here, the content data may be composed of data elements. In this case, the control section counts up the count data when a head one of the data elements of the content data is received from the first server section by the communication section. Also, when the head one of data elements of content data is received from another server section by the communication section, the control section may register the identification data and the address data of the another server section on the table and counts up the count data for the another server station.
Also, the table may include the count data for each of a plurality of time periods. In this case, it is desirable that the control section sequentially shits the count data for one time period as the count data for the time period before the one time period, when the latest time period has been elapsed.
Also, the memory may store download screen data. In this case, the control section reads out the download screen data from the memory, and controls the display section to display a download screen composed of items based on the read out download screen data. Also, the control section controls the communication section to transmit item selection data indicative of one of the items to a second one of the plurality of server sections when one item of the items is selected on the display section. Further, the control section controls the communication section to receive initial menu display data corresponding to the item selection data, and control the display section to display the received initial menu display data. In this case, the first server section and the second server section may be identical to each other.
Also, the control section may store the received initial menu display data in the table.
Also, the control section may read out the table, and control the communication section to transmit the read out table to a second one of the plurality of server sections. The control section further controls the display section to display initial menu display data transmitted from the second server section based on the table. In this case, the first server section and the second server section may be identical to each other. Also, the control section may store the initial menu display data transmitted from the second server section in the table.